Month: May 2022

Coco Chanel Introduces Chanel No. 5 (1921)

Chanel No. 5—one of the best-known perfumes in the world—was the first fragrance from Parisian couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. It is rumored that five was Chanel’s lucky number, and that she liked option number five best when given numbered sample scents during the development of her iconic perfume. Created at a time when “respectable” women favored the pure scents of garden flowers, No. 5 provocatively blended jasmine and a glandular secretion harvested from what cat-like animal? Discuss

Dutch Liberation Day

Liberation Day, or National Day, in the Netherlands celebrates May 5, 1945, the day on which the Nazi forces were driven out of Holland by the Allies. Although the Dutch had succeeded in remaining neutral during World War I, the country was invaded by the Nazis in May 1940 and rapidly overrun. The liberation of Holland in 1945 was an important step toward the subsequent defeat of the Nazis. Many Dutch cities hold special concerts on this day. Special commemorations are held in Amsterdam and around the country on May 5 each year, as well as on May 4, Remembrance Day. Discuss

Soren Kierkegaard (1813)

Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher and theologian and is generally considered, along with Friedrich Nietzsche, to be a founder of existentialism. Much of Kierkegaard’s work deals with religious problems, as he rejected organized Christianity and emphasized man’s moral responsibility and freedom of choice. Kierkegaard stressed the importance of the self and argued that “subjectivity is truth” and “truth is subjectivity.” Why did Kierkegaard publish many of his earlier works under pseudonyms? Discuss

Saint Paul's Cathedral

London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the finest churches built in the English baroque style. The original church dates back to the 7th century, but a series of fires led to architect Sir Christopher Wren redesigning the building in the 17th century. More recently, the cathedral hosted the globally televised 1981 wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer. The cathedral’s prominent form on the skyline is also used frequently in films set in London. What are some examples? Discuss

perfect

A-OK – Astronauts on the Mercury Project in 1961 popularized A-OK, meaning “excellent, perfect”; it was coined by blending the adjective “A,” as in A-one or A1, meaning “first-class,” with “OK.” More…

palinoia – The compulsive repetition of an act until it is perfect. More…

parfait – Literally French for “perfect.” More…

perfect binding – A book bound by gluing instead of sewing. More…

Margaret Thatcher Becomes Prime Minister of the UK (1979)

Thatcher was Great Britain’s first female prime minister and served longer than any other British prime minister in the 20th century. While in office, she initiated what became known as the “Thatcher Revolution,” a series of social and economic changes that dismantled many aspects of Britain’s postwar welfare state, establishing free-market economic policies and deregulating industries. Before embarking on her political career, she was a research chemist working with what popular dessert food? Discuss